COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

In January 2019, Abbott filed lawsuits against Edwards Lifesciences and its direct and indirect subsidiaries (“Edwards”) in the Federal District Court in the District of Delaware, in the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland and Italy, and, in February 2020, in Ireland, alleging patent infringement involving Edwards’ PASCAL heart valve repair system (collectively, the “PASCAL litigation”). In February 2019, Edwards filed a lawsuit against Abbott in the Federal District Court in the Central District of California alleging patent infringement involving Abbott's MITRACLIP device (with the PASCAL litigation, the “Abbott Matters”). On July 12, 2020, Edwards entered into the Settlement Agreement with Abbott to, among other things, settle all patent litigation between the parties related to alleged patent infringement involving Edwards’ PASCAL heart valve repair system and Abbott’s MITRACLIP device. Pursuant to the Settlement Agreement, all of the Abbott Matters and related appeals in courts worldwide were dismissed.

The Settlement Agreement resulted in the Company recording an estimated $367.9 million pre-tax net charge in June 2020 related to past damages. See Note 3 for additional information.

In addition, the Company is or may be a party to, or may otherwise be responsible for, pending or threatened lawsuits including those related to products and services currently or formerly manufactured or performed, as applicable, by the Company, workplace and employment matters, matters involving real estate, Company operations or health care regulations, or governmental investigations (the "Other Lawsuits"). The Other Lawsuits raise difficult and complex factual and legal issues and are subject to many uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the facts and circumstances of each particular case or claim, the jurisdiction in which each suit is brought, and differences in applicable law. Management does not believe that any loss relating to the Other Lawsuits would have a material adverse effect on the Company's overall financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.  However, the resolution of one or more of the Other Lawsuits in any reporting period, could have a material adverse impact on the Company's financial results for that period. The Company is not able to estimate the amount or range of any loss for legal contingencies related to the Other Lawsuits for which there is no reserve or additional loss for matters already reserved.

The Company is subject to various environmental laws and regulations both within and outside of the United States. The Company's operations, like those of other medical device companies, involve the use of substances regulated under environmental laws, primarily in manufacturing and sterilization processes. While it is difficult to quantify the potential impact of continuing compliance with environmental protection laws, management believes that such compliance will not have a material impact on the Company's financial results.